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Delphi and Olympia

Delphi and Olympia

Delphi and Olympia

The Spatial Politics of Panhellenism in the Archaic and Classical Periods
Michael Scott, University of Cambridge
March 2014
Available
Paperback
9781107671287
£47.00
GBP
Paperback
GBP
Hardback

    Most people think about the sanctuary of Delphi as the seat of the famous oracle and of Olympia as the site of the Olympic games. The oracle and the games, however, were but two of the many activities ongoing at both sites. This book investigates the physical remains of both sanctuaries to show how different visitors interacted with the sacred spaces of Delphi and Olympia in an important variety of ways during the archaic and classical periods. It highlights how this fluid usage impacted upon, and was itself affected by, the development of the sanctuary space and how such usage influenced the place and relationship of these two sites in the wider landscape. As a result, it argues for the re-evaluation of the roles of Delphi and Olympia in the Greek world and for a re-thinking of the usefulness of the term 'panhellenism' in Greek politics, religion and culture.

    • The first full engagement in English with the archaeological material for the sanctuaries of Delphi and Olympia
    • Presumes no previous archaeological expertise and clearly explains and analyses all the archaeological evidence presented
    • Provides the first full chronological maps of the sanctuary of Delphi to be published, and the first chronological table of monumental dedications at Delphi

    Reviews & endorsements

    '… this new book on monumental dedications and spatial politics fully deserves a place among the basic publications on Delphi and Olympia, and should not be missed by scholars interested in pan-hellenic identity and sanctuary spaces.' Histara: Les Comptes Rendus

    'This handsome and readable volume belies its origin in the PhD research of Michael Scott, a rising star of Ancient History in Cambridge.' Anglo-Hellenic Review

    'It is the particular merit of [the book that it] has turned to the archaeology, monuments, dedications and buildings of these sanctuary sites to test the nature of panhellenism as it changed over the archaic and classical periods.' The Times Literary Supplement

    See more reviews

    Product details

    March 2014
    Paperback
    9781107671287
    378 pages
    244 × 170 × 20 mm
    0.6kg
    57 b/w illus.
    Available

    Table of Contents

    • Introduction
    • 1. Athletes and oracles - but what else?
    • 2. Dedicating at Olympia and Delphi
    • 3. Delphi 650–500 BC
    • 4. Delphi 500–400 BC
    • 5. Delphi 400–300 BC
    • 6. Olympia 650–479 BC
    • 7. Olympia 479–300 BC
    • 8. Comparing spaces
    • 9. Panhellenic sanctuaries and panhellenism in context.
      Author
    • Michael Scott , University of Cambridge

      Michael Scott is Moses and Mary Finley Fellow in Ancient History at Darwin College, Cambridge. He has recently published From Democrats to Kings: The Brutal Dawn on a New World from the Downfall of Athens to the Rise of Alexander the Great (2009).